This newest structure in Wieboldt's chain of six department stores, all in the Chicago metropolitan area, incorporates many ideas proved in the owners' long merchandising experience; their first store opened in 1883, the Evanston branch in 1929. The new building is deliberately horizontal because Wieboldt's believes women prefer to shop as much as possible on one floor rather than several. The large site facilitates such a scheme. On each of the three floors above grade land self-service basement) related departments are planned to be contiguous. There are virtually no windows in sales areas. The bays, relatively small, are sized to accommodate a flexible merchandising fixture layout (for which H. Allan Majestic & Assoc. were consultants) and for economy in the reinforced concrete construction.
Walls of the three-story building, virtually windowless, are relieved of monotony by pattern and texture of the face brick. Entrances are spacious, in keeping with Wieboldt's intention of providing friendly rather than frenzied service. Show windows and cases are provided along street facades and entrance shown below for both small objects and large.
Plan of parking building, above, shows lower level at left, upper level at right. Customer driving in at lower level is directed to available parking space, crosses bridge to store Customer leaving store crosses bridge, picks up packages at station on level where her car is parked. In photo of store interior, note simplicity of fixtures and interior treatment, nothing in sales areas is permitted to compete with the merchandise.
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source: Design for Modern Merchandising | An Architectural Record Book | 1954
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